Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Grover's

Maybe I’m just attracted to clutter, but damn I sure do love shopping at Grover Utzinger’s hardware store. If you’ve never been there you need to put it on your list of must visit old timey shops in Dried Salmon County. Grover’s is the second shop on the left just after you cross the Old Youngs Bay Bridge. It looks like a small shop and by the standards of the modern hardware stores, but every thing anyone could possibly need is in there.

You can enter the shop and think you see everything, but no, there is a door to this little goat path cat walk where the nuts and bolts are kept. You need pipe? That another door that you need to go through and ends you up in this room that looks like a garage, which is nearly the size of the main shop. Need a plastic septic tank? He’s got them outside.

Grover’s is a Mom and Pop and a couple of kids shop. It has everything but open space. I don’t remember which franchise it is under, maybe True Value, but a few years back they had to join the modern world and set their inventory up on a computer. It was demanded by the head office. It seemed to inconvenience them greatly, but they plodded through into modern times, but when you go there now, the computer is turned on but never used. You bill is prepared on a calculator and if you need a receipt, you’ll get one that is hand written or one from the register.

In that shop Grover is the computer. He seems to know every product and the quantity of that product in his store. I have yet to see him run out of anything, except maybe lamp oil when the power was out for three days around here.

So pay a visit and look around. I’m sure you’ll see things you’ve never seen before. Most of all you’ll see a store of yester-year.

9 Comments:

Auntie L said...

My mum still shops there! You can find a veritable treasure trove of goodies there that you haven't seen for years. The last time I went, (before the computer inventory) (damn computers!) I had to blow dust off of a price tag of some item and I swear the price tag was from 1978. I asked if it was the correct price and they looked at me as if I was crazy (well, maybe I am a little) and said 'of course.' What a place. Thanks for the reminder. I need to go again.

We used to have a little hardware like that in our little town. They gave instant credit, too. And never sent a bill. So I'd say, "Hey Cliff, I think maybe we owe Buddy for that stuff we bought last year." And we'd go ask Buddy.

AA-HA!!!Just as I suspected; Guy is a closet gearhead.I'm setting here looking at the cool picture of the old fastener boxes and wondering, "Is today the coming out party?"And don't think for a minute that I have not remembered all of your slobbering over my old equipment.Heres a couple of motivational tips for you now that you are unincumbered by the closet doors hittin you on the @$$:Put a boom-box in your shop.Also a coffee pot.If you are changing a clutch or something, Coffee and B.T.O. will GREATLY speed the process......well, until Lars comes on at 11am anyway.

Though I know you'll out live me, Gearhead, if you want to make me feel better you can mention me in your will as the the one who gets that new loader you are buying, I'll do you proud and become a gear head.